The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal publishes the following types of decisions about medical practitioners and students on the New South Wales Caselaw website:

• decisions following a complaint/s
• appeals of decisions about complaints
• reviews of decisions about complaints
• appeals of registration decisions

Professional Standards Committee (PSC)  decisions can be found on the Austlii website.

Notice of written decision

Health Care Complaints Commission v Dr Charles Teo  

The written decision in this matter, published on 12 July 2023  takes effect immediately.

This decision is  available on the Australian Legal Information Institute (AustLII) website database for published NSW Medical professional Standards Committee (accessible via the link below):

New South Wales Medical Professional Standards Committee Decisions

As required by the National Law, the conditions imposed by the Professional Standards Committee on Dr Charles Teo’s  medical registration have been sent to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulatory Agency (Ahpra) for publication on the national Register of Practitioners.

Link to Ahpra register:

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency - Register of practitioners (ahpra.gov.au)

NOTE:

The Medical Professional Standards Committee is an independent decision-making body with powers to determine complaints of unsatisfactory professional conduct against medical practitioners, referred to it under the National Law. 

The Council is not a party to these proceedings and will not be making any public comments about this decision.

NSW Civil and and Administrative Tribunal hearing dates 

Scheduled hearings in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT)  available  via the daily hearing list on the NCAT website.

Professional Standards Committee (PSC) hearing dates

There are currently no PSC hearing dates scheduled. Details of upcoming PSC hearing dates are added to this section of the website when they become available. 

Professional standards committee  FAQs

What is a Professional Standards Committee hearing?

The Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) prosecutes referred matters before either a Professional Standards Committee (PSC) or the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Tribunal). A PSC generally hears complaints concerning allegations of unsatisfactory professional conduct about medical practitioners.

 A professional standards committee is an independent decision-making panel. The Medical Council provides administrative support to the hearing but it is not a party and takes no active role in the proceedings. The  Medical Council arranges for the publication of PSC decisions on the Australian Legal Information Institute (AustLII) website. Where a PSC makes a finding of unsatisfactory professional conduct and decides to impose conditions on a medical practitioner, it formally  notifies the Australian Health Practitioner  Regulation Agency (Ahpra) so the conditions can be included in the medical  practitioner's registration details on the national register of practitioners. 

The Tribunal usually hears more serious matters such as complaints about criminal offences, serious professional boundary violations, or serious matters of professional misconduct. Both the Tribunal and a PSC may reprimand and/or impose conditions on a practitioner’s registration. However, only the Tribunal can suspend or cancel a practitioner’s registration.

Can the public attend a Professional Standards Committee hearing?
PSCs are open to the public, but available seating can be limited depending on the hearing venue. If you would like to attend a PSC hearing it is best to contact the the Council via the email address provided for that hearing. 

How are Professional Standards Committee hearings  delivered?
Public hearings are generally held in-person, with the option of  witnesses who are unable to attend in-person via participating by audio-visual link.

Information for the media
Professional standards committe hearings are open to the media and conducted in person. Hearing room capacity  for capacity varies depending on the venue location. Hearings are not livestreams and recordings are not available to the public or media.  Notes can be taken by media representatives but photography, and audio or visual recording devices, cannot to be used in the hearing room or on Council premises.

Journalists can contact the NSW Medical Council communications team at HPCA-MCNSW-CommunicationsTeam@health.nsw.gov.au for information about attending a PSC hearing. 

What is a Professional Standards Committee hearing?

The Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) prosecutes referred matters before either a Professional Standards Committee (PSC) or the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Tribunal). A PSC generally hears complaints concerning allegations of unsatisfactory professional conduct about medical practitioners. The PSC panel can also refer a case to the Tribunal under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law NSW (National Law).

The Tribunal usually hears more serious matters such as complaints about criminal offences, serious professional boundary violations, or serious matters of professional misconduct. Both the Tribunal and a PSC may reprimand and/or impose conditions on a practitioner’s registration. However, only the Tribunal can suspend or cancel a practitioner’s registration.

Can the public attend a Professional Standards Committee hearing?
PSCs are open to the public, with decisions published on the Austlii website. Both the Tribunal and PSCs are legally separate from and independent of the Medical Council of NSW (Council). The Council provides administrative for professional standards committee hearings and arranges publication of PSC decisions. It is not a party in PSC proceedings. 

How are  Professional Standards Committee hearings held?
Public hearings are generally delivered in-person, with the option of  witnesses unable to attend in-person  appearing via audio-visual link.

Information for the media
PSC hearings are open to the media and conducted in person. Hearing room capacity will vary depending on the hearing room used.  hearings are not livestreamed and recordings are not  available to the public or media. Notes can be taken but photography, and audio or visual recording devices, are not to be used in the hearing room or on Council premises.

Journalists can email at HPCA-MCNSW-Communications@health.nsw.gov.au with questions about attending a PSC hearing.

You can also find decisions made by the Medical Tribunal before the establishment of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on 1 January 2014 on the Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII) website.